Praying the Psalms

Posted on November 19, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

As some of you know, I went last year to hear my one of my favorite preachers, Tim Keller, speak in Jackson last week. He has written a new book on prayer that I’m reading now, and I’d encourage you to read as well. It’s a got a simple title – Prayer.

He made several points that I’ve been chewing on the last week or so, but on of the things that he said he has done to improve his prayer life was this.

He read the Psalms. He said that we learn to pray a lot like how people learn to talk. By hearing language spoken. The more words a child hears, the more (and faster) the will speak. He said it’s the same with prayer.

We need to hear prayers to pray better. And that’s why we should read the Psalms. They are the prayer language of the Bible. When we read them, we “read” prayers. We grow our vocabulary. We learn how to pray. We learn what it means to seek God. To seek His face. To desire Him. To know Him.

We learn how to pray.

Reading the Psalms is powerful. And life changing. So today, I just want us to read Psalm 100 together. Just read. Listen. Listen to it. Listen for God in it. What does it make you feel? Think? Experience? How does it draw your heart to God?

How does it make you pray?

Psalm 100

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

I’d encourage you to read a Psalm every day. I really believe that it will help us each grow, learn to pray, and learn how to better seek God’s face.

Today, and each day, may we pray.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones, and you thought our app, you can now watch our worship services from Asbury too!

When We Can’t Feel His Presence

Posted on October 30, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

One of the things that I believe that truly gives life, that truly changes us and gives us hope, is to be in the presence of God. To know that God is with us, to know that He is there, listening, loving, caring.

In our lives, we have all been there, at some point, knowing that God is with us, God is present, God cares.

Many of us can think of moments, right now, where we felt that way. I can; you can, we all can.

And in just the same way, we can think of moments where we couldn’t feel the presence of God. Where we didn’t know where He was. Where we didn’t think, He was there. Where we felt forsaken. We’ve all been there, too.

So, what do we do? What do we do when we don’t feel God’s presence? Today, in Psalm 105: 4-6 we are offered two suggestions. Listen to what it says.

Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually! Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered, O offspring of Abraham, his servant, children of Jacob, his chosen ones!

First we are told this. Keep seeking. Keep seeking after God. Keep doing the things where you experience God.

Keep reading His word. Keep praying. Keep serving. Keep looking. Keep listening. Keep seeking. And you will find Him. You will. He is there.

And second, remember what He has done. Remember where He has been faithful. Remember where He has shown Himself. Remember how He has loved you, saved you, called you, been there for you. Remember. Remember.

Never forget. Never forget who He is. Never forget what He has done. Never forget how He loves. Never forget.

He hasn’t left. He hasn’t. Even if you can’t feel Him. He is there. Keep seeking Him. He is there. Keep remembering. He is there.

Even if you can’t feel it, don’t quit. Don’t forget. He is there. Hold tight to that.

Today. Pray.

Posted on October 13, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

Today, I want to encourage you to pray. Most days these devotionals are about looking at a passage of scripture, reading it, and then talking about the a greater theme or “takeaway” that we can apply to our lives on that day and hopefully for the days to come.

My man Tim Keller has a book on prayer coming out soon, and I was reading about it this morning, and this is how he describes prayer within in – What is prayer, then, in the fullest sense? Prayer is continuing a conversation that God has started through his Word and his grace, which eventually becomes a full encounter with him ….The power of our prayers, then, lies not primarily in our effort and striving, or in any technique, but rather in our knowledge of God.

So, in other words, prayer is not about what you say, or how you say it, prayer is a conversation that God has already started with us, and that will result in our knowledge of Him.

Prayer is a conversation that God started, in which He longs to reveal Himself to us, and hear us.

Today, God hears you. He does. He hears you.

Today, though, I just want you to pray. Take a moment right now, and pray. If you are driving, feel free to pray with your eyes open. But just pray.

Pray for those that are sick.

Pray for those that are battling cancer and other diseases.

Pray for those that are grieving lost ones today.

Pray for your family.

Pray for those you love.

Pray for your church, it’s ministries and staff. Pray for your pastor. Pray for their families.

Pray for our nation. Pray for our military folks.

Pray for God to show Himself to you. Pray for awareness to understand when He does.

Pray for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Pray for the forgiveness of sin.

Pray for yourself.

Pray.

Today, no matter where you are, or what you are doing, take this moment, and just pray.

This Time Matters

Posted on September 24, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

One of the things that I think we can do as Christians to really change our lives is to look at Jesus. He is the visible image of the invisible God. So, in other words, to know God, we have to know Jesus.

How do we know Jesus?

We look at the Word and see what it teaches. What does it say about Him, His life, His ministry, who He is?

So, if you really want to change your life, read a Gospel. Read Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. Read it and see what you learn about Jesus. And when learn something about Jesus, you will learn something about God.

Today, we take a look at something that happens in Luke 4: 42-44. Listen to what it says:

And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea

What do we learn here? Well, lots of things. Jesus had a mission. He obeyed it, even when it was a challenge and misunderstood. He was always moving and faithful.

But what I took away was this. He was alone. He went to a place where it was just Him and God. He went alone and prayed.

He is the very Son of God. He is God Himself. He is part of the Trinity. And He knew the importance of prayer. He knew the importance of study. He knew the importance of being alone with God.

It mattered to Jesus.

And so it should matter to us. This time matters. No matter where you are right now. At home. In the office. On the bus. In the car. Wherever. This time matters.

In this moment, turn your heart towards God. Listen to Him. Seek Him. Know Him. This right here is the most important time of your day.

Jesus knew the importance of His time with God. So should we.

Jesus’ Prayer for Us

Posted on September 3, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

One of the most important passages in all the Bible, to me at least, is John 17. In that chapter, we see Jesus praying. But’s not just any prayer, it’s a prayer that He’s praying for His followers that are yet to come.

So, reading this prayer would really give us great insight into what Jesus was thinking at this hour before His crucifixion. It’s a beautiful prayer, but I want to, this morning, specifically focus on what He says in John 17: 20-22

I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them that they may be one even as we are one

Of all the things that Jesus could focus on at that time, that’s what He says. I pray that the believers that would follow me that they would be one.

Isn’t that what the faith should be about? No matter what church, or denomination, or tradition, or worship style, or theology we are a part of, shouldn’t we be one?

Aren’t we saved in the name of the same Jesus? Don’t we worship the same Triune God? Don’t we have the same purpose, the same calling, the same hope?

Aren’t we brothers and sisters, not competitors?

Shouldn’t we rejoice in each other’s victories and weep in other’s defeats?

Shouldn’t we love each other?

Because we are family. We are. If we are in Jesus, we are family.

We are one. That was His prayer for us. Jesus. Prayed for that.

I said this yesterday on Facebook – “interesting talks today. I hope that the life of the church can grow from being competition between churches; who has the best preacher, or music, or coolest youth pastor, and can grow into true community. Community within the local church and community among the churches. I don’t know what that looks like. But I know that’s what I want Asbury Church to be about.”

That’s what I want us to be about here in Petal. And everywhere. And I hope that I can do my best to make sure we are one.

That’s our Lord’s prayer for us. May we seek to be faithful to that.

No One Wants to be Alone

Posted on July 21, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

I know this may sound like a simple statement, but is one that is really true. If we want to know how to live and what we should do in life, we need to look to Jesus.

The Bible tells us that if we want to know God’s heart, we need to look to Jesus (Colossians 1:15). To know God, we need to look to Jesus.

And I think we sort of know that already. There is something though that I think we know, but we forget. The Bible teaches us that while Jesus is fully God, He is also fully human.

What does this have to do within anything? Listen to what we read today in Matthew 26:26-38:

Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.”

Jesus is fully God, right? But we also know that He’s fully human. And, when this hour comes, what is one thing that He wants? He doesn’t want to be alone.

He wants to be surrounded by the people who He loves, and that love Him. He doesn’t want to be alone.

And neither do we.

And you know what we see here in this text? That’s ok. If Jesus, the very Son of God, creator of all that is, both seen and unseen, knows that in times of trial, He doesn’t want to be alone, it’s ok for us to know that as well.

It’s ok for us to realize that there are some loads to heavy, some hills too high, some rivers too deep, that we don’t want to deal with them along. It’s ok. Neither did Jesus.

So today, if you are going through a tough time, don’t be alone. Surround yourself with folks that love you. Lean on there, let them help. Let them be a friend. Cling to them.

And if you have something you love going through a tough time, walk with them. Be there. Hold their hand.

No one wants to be alone. Neither did Jesus. That’s why we have each other.

Glory (SOAP)

Posted on March 6, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

Today, we’ll take a look at John 17:1-5.

S – scripture

Remember to ready slowly. Pay attention to what you are doing. Focus. Listen. Calm your soul. In this moment, tune out the world, and listen for what God wants to say to you in His word.

John 17:1-5:

When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

O – observation

Jesus’ desired to glorify the Father

Jesus desired to glorify the Father. There were many reasons why Jesus came to earth. To die for our sins. To defeat the power of the devil. To show the depth of God’s love for us. To show the church how we should care for the ones that are forgotten. To show us that no one is unloved. Many, many reasons.

But, one of the main reasons, we see over and over again, is to give glory to God the Father. The Son desires for the Father to be praised, to be loved, to be honored. Jesus says this – in this moment that is beginning, may you receive glory. All things work for the glory of God, even the cross. Jesus knew that. And He teaches us that.

Eternal life is knowing God

Jesus asks the Father that we many know eternal life, and that life is knowing the Father, and the Son that He sent. Heaven will be many things, but above all, in heaven, we will know God fully, as He has fully known us (1 Corinthians 13). Heaven isn’t just to come, but through knowing God, we can taste it right now, through His grace. When we experience something powerful, something holy, something good, that’s a taste of heaven.

Jesus wants us to know that. Jesus tells us, that is what eternal life is, at it’s most full, knowing God. So, eternal life is not just a “future” thing, but it’s also a “right now” thing. For those of us that know God, we don’t have have to wait to know things that are eternal, we can know them, right now, in this moment.

Jesus is God

It says in this text that Jesus will know the presence of God, as He knew before the world was created. In the Bible, glory is the essence of who God is. So, Jesus knew God’s essence, in John 1, it says that was with God, and was God. Jesus Christ is God. He is part of the glorious Trinity, the very being of who God is. Jesus wasn’t just a good man. He wasn’t just a good teacher. He was God. You must know this. You must understand this. He is God.

And He died and rose again to save us. And life is found only through Him.

A – application

If Jesus desired to give glory to God in all things, do I?

Jesus Christ knew that part of His purpose on the earth was to give glory to the Father. That was part of what He was here to do. What about us? If that was part of what Jesus desired to do, what about me and you?

Do we desire to give God glory through our work? Our families? Our faith? Our hobbies? Our everything? Jesus came, for many reasons, but giving God glory was one of the main ones. Today, do we desire to honor God and give God glory through everything?

How can I see glimpses of eternity today?

If eternal life is knowing God, today, we have eternal life. It’s not just something that we look forward to, but its something that we can know, right now. So, today, are you looking for heaven? Are we aware of all the places, and all the ways, that we can see eternity? Every movement of the spirit, ever act of grace, every time that God moves in our life, that’s a glimpse of heaven.

Today, are you just living life, or are you looking for heaven in every moment?

Have I given Jesus my all in all?

Jesus Christ is God. He is part of the glorious Trinity. He was there before the world was created, and all things were created through Him and for Him. He is God Himself. I don’t fully understand the beauty of the Trinity, but I know that it is true. Jesus Christ is God.

Have we given Him our all in all? Does He have our everything? Does He have every bit of our lives? Because that’s where peace and hope and life will come. Through giving Him our all. Jesus is God. Do you honor and worship Him as such?

Does He fully have you?

P – prayer

Today, Blessed Father, may we glorify you in all that we do. May we look for glimpses of heaven, in all of life, and my we give you our all in all. Today God, may we seek to give you glory, in all things. In Jesus name. Amen.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

An Honest Place

Posted on February 19, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

One of the things that I love most about the book of Psalms, is that each of the Psalms is written from a very honest place. The Psalms are basically songs of praise that we were written to be sung as worship to God.

I love them. I try to read a few of them each day. They are inspirational, they are hopeful, they are encouraging, and they are honest.

They are written from a very honest place. And that means that sometimes they don’t sound very safe. Or even nice. But they always sound very true. Listen to what I read today in Psalm 69: 19-21:

You know my reproach,
and my shame and my dishonor;
my foes are all known to you.
Reproaches have broken my heart,
so that I am in despair.
I looked for pity, but there was none,
and for comforters, but I found none.
They gave me poison for food,
and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.

The Psalmist pours out his heart, his anger, his brokenness to God. He lets God really know what’s going in his head, in his heart, in his world.

He lets God know. And the hurt comes pouring out. The pain is unleashed. He gives it God.

And that’s such an honest, healthy thing to do. Such a good thing to do. Because here’s the thing.

If we hold onto our hurt, our pain, our loss, God can’t help us with it. When we cling to it so tightly, there’s nothing He can do. But, we when we release it, give it Him, He can actually do something to help us with it.

But, we’ve got to actually give it to Him. I put it like this. We need to pray honest prayers, not safe prayers. Honest prayers actually tell God what’s going on, and let Him help us. Safe prayers don’t tell God the truth of hurt, pain, and fear. And if we don’t give things to Him, He can’t really help us with them.

Today, this Psalm comes from an honest place. Today, may our prayers do the same. May we actually tell God what’s going on. And may we find His grace there in our moment of need.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phone.

A Prayer for the New Year

Posted on January 1, 2014 by Andy Stoddard

Yesterday I shared with you a prayer from Rev. Billy Graham for New Year’s Eve. Today, I’d like to share a prayer with you from another of my spiritual heroes, John Wesley. While Wesley didn’t write this prayer, he did use it, and encouraged others to use it as a prayer and a covenant to begin each New Year.

It’s a prayer that I dearly love, and one that I try to read again, at the beginning of each New Year, as a reminder of what really counts and is important.

Please join me this year, in doing our very best to give all that we are, each day, the Gracious Lover of our Souls.

I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine.
So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen.

My this covenant prayer be our desire each new day.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phone

A New Year’s Eve Prayer

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Andy Stoddard

Here’s a prayer I found from Rev. Billy Graham on the occasion of New Year’s Eve that I’d like to share with you. Happy New Year’s! May we let go of the mistakes of 2013 and live in the hope of a New Year!

Our Father and our God, as we stand at the beginning of this new year we confess our need of Your presence and Your guidance as we face the future.

We each have our hopes and expectations for the year that is ahead of us—but You alone know what it holds for us, and only You can give us the strength and the wisdom we will need to meet its challenges. So help us to humbly put our hands into Your hand, and to trust You and to seek Your will for our lives during this coming year.

In the midst of life’s uncertainties in the days ahead, assure us of the certainty of Your unchanging love.

In the midst of life’s inevitable disappointments and heartaches, help us to turn to You for the stability and comfort we will need.

In the midst of life’s temptations and the pull of our stubborn self-will, help us not to lose our way but to have the courage to do what is right in Your sight, regardless of the cost.

And in the midst of our daily preoccupations and pursuits, open our eyes to the sorrows and injustices of our hurting world, and help us to respond with compassion and sacrifice to those who are friendless and in need.

We pray for our nation and its leaders during these difficult times, and for all those who are seeking to bring peace and justice to our dangerous and troubled world. We pray especially for Your protection on all those who serve in our armed forces, and we thank You for their commitment to defend our freedoms, even at the cost of their own lives. Be with their families also, and assure them of Your love and concern for them.

As we look back over this past year we thank You for Your goodness to us—far beyond what we have deserved. May we never presume on Your past goodness or forget all Your mercies to us, but may they instead lead us to repentance, and to a new commitment to make You the foundation and center of our lives this year.

And so, our Father, we thank You for the promise and hope of this new year, and we look forward to it with expectancy and faith. This I ask in the name of our Lord and Saviour, who by His death and resurrection has given us hope both for this world and the world to come.

Amen.

Billy Graham 1963

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